Grana Padano | Picture taken by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel
All you need to know about Grana Padano and the difference from Parmigiano Reggiano…
While Parmigiano Reggiano proudly carries the title of the King of Cheeses, I would like to tell you a bit about my absolute favorite in hard cheeses, the Grana Padano or as I like to call it, The Emperor of Cheeses.
Many of us often believe that the Grana Padano is a lesser quality Parmigiano Reggiano and some even believe that it is called Parmigiano Padano, that is not the case, at least not if we are referring to the authentic product, imported from the specific Provinces and regions of the Grana Padano D.O.P.
While the Grana Padano does have many similarities to the Parmigiano Reggiano, the differences are essential to the flavor and texture, the first one being the place of production. The Grana Padano is produced in a much wider area than the Parmigiano Reggiano in the regions of: Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino and Veneto (keep in mind that the Regions are much larger than the provinces, therefore a larger area of production).
In the flavor you can detect the difference in the Grana Padano being creamier and sligtly less saltier that the Parmigiano Reggiano, otherwise they are both just as firm and nutty in flavor.
Here are some more differences between both cheeses:
- Grana Padano is made from both skim and whole milk while the Parmigiano Reggiano is made only from skim milk.
- The Cows have different diets – the Grana Padano cows are less restricted in their diet and are allowed to eat silage in their feed while the Parmigiano Reggiano cows must be fed fresh or dried vegetable matter.
- And as already mentioned above the Grana Padano comes from a larger area of production.
Since the restrictions are less for making the Grana Padano, the price is slightly lower but as we all know that does not mean that it is not as good.
Grana Padano can be found in three different ripening stages and the more mature the cheese is the nuttier and more pungent the flavor.
- Grana Padano | 9-16 months
- Grana Padano Oltre 16 mesi | Over 16 months
- Grana Padano Riserva | Reserve over 20 months
Tips & Tricks
The reason why these hard cheeses are used so often in cooking is because they are so versatile, the Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano can be sliced with a cheese slicer (see picture above), it can be grated (most often this is how it’s used in cooking or by finishing a pasta plate) it can also be broken off in pieces (see Parmigiano Reggiano post) and personally I have shredded the cheese when wanting larger amounts in cooking.
The best way to store it is cold, in a refrigerator or even in the freezer if not used to frequently. I would suggest to always keep it air tight and low in humidity, if you know you haven’t used it for a while and if not vacuum packed when stored, take the cheese out once in a while, pad it dry and change the saran wrap or the plastic bag that it has been stored in.
Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, which one is your favorite? Maybe you like both just as much but for different purposes. Let me know!
In my last Contest, the question that I posted was: “Which one of my ‘A Chefs Take’ posts was your favorite”, many of you chose Chef Roberto Stabiles creation from Ristorante Primo & Secondo. In result to that Roberto and his wife Natalina descided to donate the Gift Certificate for this competition as a sign of appreciation!
I am now with great excitement announcing my 6th Giveaway:
WIN A THREE SERVICE BLIND TASTING MENU FOR TWO AT RISTORANTE PRIMO & SECONDO
This is the Gift Certificate that could be yours!
This is how you Participate:
You just have to tell me in the comment section below: Which product, that I haven’t spoken about yet on my blog, would you like me to talk about and why.
Who Wins?
- The winner will be selected randomly using http://www.random.org
- The winner will be announced in the comment section below next Sunday at 8:00 PM
The Rules:
- Participants should live in Montreal (or planning a trip there!)
- Put your first and last name so that when we announce the winner you will know it’s you who won!
- We will communicate with the winner to get his/her address . Please enter the right email (will be kept confidential with us and will not under any circumstanses be shared with anyone. We will NOT send you any advertising. The only purpose to enter your email is for us to get in touch with you if you win)
- Invite a friend to participate, and tell us who it is in your reply, you will double your chances of winning
- Gift certificates will be mailed to the address winner provides us with
- Gift certificate should be used within 60 days, or else it expires
- Gift certificate does not include alcohol, wine and service/tips.
Good Luck to all!
I came to Montreal in September 1996 to study Interior Design at College Inter-Dec. If I had known then that this would be the city I would permanently live in, find my soulmate, form close and life long friendships and discover my endless love for Sushi, I would have arrived here earlier.
In October 1996 I was introduced, by then a class mate and today my close friend Bill, to sushi. As I was having it, I still remember that it was a shrimp tempura roll. I was amazed at how something could taste so good. I was also amazed over how they managed to mix so many different flavors in one little roll, not to mention the combination of soy, ginger and wasabi all together creating the perfect harmony and satisfaction between all my senses. 
I very quickly picked up on the sushi hype and started my pilgrimage across Montreal to see what the city had to offer. My friends and I (many of them international students just like me and new to Montreal) Â continuously exchanged experiences from different sushi bars and quickly made sure we went to try out the places that we hadn’t been to yet. One evening, I had this girlfriend of mine asking me, if I would like to join her for sushi at Kaizen, I said I had never been there so I would love to join her. After my evening at Kaizen my quest for the best sushi place ended. From then on I still continued going to new places that opened and many of them were remarkable but my heart was still at Kaizen and I always have to go back every once in a while.
I would say that it’s a little over a year now that I have been wondering why no sushi restaurants carries our products and what we could offer that they can’t already get. When we first started importing Bottarga, I remember Paolo saying that “this should be something that might be interesting to sushi bars and restaurants”. But then at the same time, we realized that this is not what we wanted to primarily contribute with. As time passed the thought just kept on growing in my head and I was now at the point of really wanting to have a maki roll with Prosciutto di Parma, I had by now even built an idea of what should be in this roll. I’m sure many of you are now wondering why I didn’t just try making it myself. You see, this was so important to me that there was no room for disappointment.
And then it hit me! Where else but at Kaizen. I knew of Cassady Sniatowsky through Paolo and I had seen on different occasions pictures that were uploaded on Facebook from Kaizen by him and I was amazed of the different kinds of fish that they were using and how a lot of it was seasonal and imported. I knew I was able to reach him on Twitter, so that’s what I did. I thought I was going to have to work really hard to convince him and that I would have to somewhat explain myself but that wasn’t the case. Sharp as a whip and always looking for something new and also very confident in his Sushi Chef or ‘Itamae’, Antonio, this was just another one of their continuous and ongoing experiments to outdo them selves and differentiate themselves from others by being one of the better ones and for some of us, the best.
On Halloween evening, Paolo and I went to Kaizen Sushi Bar & Restaurant to have one of the better meals I’ve had in a long time and also a very memorable one. I finally got to have sushi with Prosciutto di Parma and also with Spek, which is a slightly smoked prosciutto, but that was not even the beginning of what we had that evening. Every plate that was served were beautiful to look at, the flavors were magical to savour and the aftertaste is something that I am still holding on to as I am writing this post. I would without a doubt suggest for you to pass by Kaizen and try your Harumaki and don’t forget to let me know what you think about it.
I made a post yesterday asking for help with my decision of my profile picture, and I have to say thank god I did! Because the outcome was not what I would have chosen,, which was picture #1, Â but it was what my photographer Vadim Daniel chose though, Vadim I bet you’re happy now 
. Between the comments here on the blog, the Facebook fan page and my personal Facebook profile, picture number two was the winning picture without any hesitation.
MrsMacchi's New Profile Picture | Profile Picture #2
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With all the changes going on with my Blog, I have been advised to change my profile picture. I had these pictures taken by my photographer Vadim Daniel, last week, and now we seem to have difference of opinion in which picture to choose. I now really need your help to let me know which one you think is the best one to use as my profile picture. What makes it even more difficult is that they all look very much the same. Please put your critical eye on these pictures and help me make my decision. (more…)
